Dem candidates try to stand out in 1st District race

A decade ago, the 1st Barnstable District elected its first Democratic state representative in Cleon Turner, a former Dennis selectman.

By C. RYAN BARBER

capecodtimes.com

By C. RYAN BARBER

Posted Sep. 3, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By C. RYAN BARBER

Posted Sep. 3, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

A decade ago, the 1st Barnstable District elected its first Democratic state representative in Cleon Turner, a former Dennis selectman who came back from losing to the incumbent Republican in 2002 to winning the seat in an open contest.

Now a five-term Statehouse veteran, Turner has decided that 69 "sounds like a good retirement age," leaving the task of keeping the historically conservative district in Democratic hands to three candidates vying for the party's nomination Tuesday.

That task might prove difficult against the hefty campaign coffers of retired state police Sgt. Tim Whelan, the only Republican in the race. But during the summer, Dennis lawyers Ian Ryan and Elisa Zawadzkas, along with Yarmouth Port Realtor Alex Morash, have each made the case for being best-suited to succeed Turner.

In a district that comprises almost all of the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District, where budget talks have grown so heated that Ryan has dubbed them the "Bass River School Wars," the three candidates have consistently identified education funding as a priority. Also high on the list is wastewater — an issue Ryan has referred to as "the giant filthy elephant in the corner" and Zawadzkas has called the "single most threatening" to Cape Cod's environment and economy.

With agreement on most issues, differences have emerged more in style than substance.

At 30, Morash is the youngest candidate in the race but has argued that, for the position of legislator, he has the most relevant experience. Drawing more from his background as a progressive activist and member of the state Commission on LGBT Youth than his time in real estate, Morash has cast himself unabashedly as a policy wonk who would be "ready on day one."

"I'm the only candidate who had to work directly with the Massachusetts Statehouse," said Morash, who is gay. "No other candidate in this race has that experience."

Morash has proposed expanding tax credits for the elderly and pushed for making Cape villages more "walkable" to attract young people. On transportation — a rare point of disagreement between the candidates — he has opposed the proposed third bridge over the Cape Cod Canal and bullishly pushed for extending commuter rail service not just to Buzzards Bay but as far as Exit 7 off Route 6.

"Where would we put the cars after they get off the bridge? I haven't seen any plan updating our highways and then our other roads on the Cape," Morash said during a recent forum in Dennis, adding that he is also concerned about the public-private partnership proposed for the bridge's construction.

"Some people call it innovative. I just consider it more Wall Street profiteering. I have too many concerns for that bridge. I say no."

Ryan, 42, who is also gay, has argued that he has the widest breadth of experience of the three candidates. After leaving the Army, Ryan says, he struggled for months to find a job, even going on food stamps to support his family before founding Cozy Cape Cottages, a real estate agency specializing in seasonal vacation rentals, and earning a law degree. An attorney specializing in mediation, Ryan often talks about his comfort with "difficult conversations."

"I've actually lived through these experiences; I know what it's like to be stuck in that unemployment, negative feedback loop," he said.

With that experience, Ryan has said he would prove himself as a practical problem-solver at the Statehouse. While political realities stand in the Cape's way of getting back more of what it sends to the state in taxes, Ryan said a mediator's approach could help make the case for investing in a "small-population area that produces an enormous amount of revenue" for Massachusetts.

"I understand that we're not going to change the tax code just because of voting numbers. We're not going to change the dynamics of distributing revenue by population. You can do other things like invest in the third bridge or wastewater problem because it makes sense for the rest of Massachusetts to do that," Ryan said.

At a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters last month, he criticized Morash's call to extend commuter rail past Buzzards Bay across the bridge to the rest of the Cape, which lacks the existing infrastructure for high-speed rail.

"I like trains, just to be clear," he said during the forum. But "just because you're running the progressive checklist doesn't mean it makes sense. That's so that we can run trains at 60 mph through Barnstable Village, through people's backyards" he said, of Morash's proposal to extend commuter rail to an area near Exit 7. "It's still a six-hour commute (to Boston) for an eight-hour day."

Morash later said in an interview that he believed the commuter rail proposal called for extending the line from Plymouth to Buzzards Bay. In fact, the proposal gathering buzz among state officials would extend the service on existing welded rail between the Lakeville-Middleboro station and Buzzards Bay.

Zawadzkas, 34, has said her experience as a lawyer has prepared her to advocate for constituents. She also notes that she is the only female candidate in the race and, as a member of the Dennis Zoning Board of Appeals, the only one with municipal experience.

"Women bring a different style and approach that is valuable. Right now, only 22 percent of the elected officials in Barnstable County are women, when we're over half the population," Zawadzkas said in an interview. "Having that voice will be an asset that I could provide. I do think elected officials need to better reflect the population as a whole."

Otherwise, Zawadzkas has framed herself more as a "vessel for constituents" than a candidate with a specific agenda in mind. When the candidates were asked about the first bill they would file if elected, Morash said he would address special education funding, while Ryan has said he would strive to expand access to public accommodations for transgender citizens.

"I'm not coming into this position with any personal agenda," Zawadzkas said. "My role, as I see it, is to be a vessel for the constituents of this district. So what they want is what I'll advocate for."

That answer and others, in which Zawadzkas said she would need more information before taking a position on the third bridge and commuter rail, among other issues, have been interpreted by some observers of the race as attempts to avoid stances that might alienate voters.

"It's really a difference of approach. We're all close on the issues, except for Elisa, who doesn't take a stand on anything, maddeningly," said Ryan, noting that he admired his female superiors in the military for their strong opinions.

"You have to stand for something," he added. "My goodness, this is an election."